Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Healing Forest
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This sword wasn't worth a mere two hundred silver taels.
It had to be worth well over five thousand, and with the right buyer, he could get up to ten thousand for it.
But right now, all he had on hand was five hundred silver taels.
The weapon shop in this little village mainly dealt in longswords worth no more than five taels.
Even a murim warrior flush with silver rarely bought anything over a hundred taels.
"How about this? I'll give you two hundred silver taels, and in return, you can take any weapon you want from this shop."
Se Yeong reached for the sword the man was holding.
But the man had no intention of letting go. He gripped it tightly with both hands.
"Four hundred taels! I'll give you four hundred silver taels! That's my limit!"
The man shouted frantically, clutching the sword with both hands.
"Forget it."
Se Yeong shook his hand free and yanked. The man's arms twisted, and the sword came loose.
Ugh!
The man let out a short scream, utterly at a loss.
With that, Se Yeong took the sword and left the weapon shop.
'My mistake trying to sell a sword in a village this small.'
Healing Forest was a small village nestled midway up the mountainside.
Se Yeong didn't know its exact location, but he had heard its history from his father.
Originally, Healing Forest had been a medical house run by a man of the Jang clan.
His ancestor, Jang Jung-kyung, had been called a Divine Doctor alongside his contemporaries Hua Tuo and Dong Bang.
He had inherited that ancestral medical skill, making him exceptionally skilled, and disciples flocked to him like clouds.
But he was miserly. He taught medicine only for silver and had his disciples treat patients under him.
In time, disciples surpassed their master and gained fame.
Where there are great healers, patients always gather in droves.
The Jang family faded away, but outstanding healers remained to take their place.
Healing Forest, home to the world's finest healers, drew many murim folk.
'The smell is overpowering.'
Even before entering, the scent of herbs assaulted his nose. Once inside, he saw crowds bustling about noisily.
Young healers were busy dispensing medicine, applying acupuncture, and burning moxa.
Moans poured endlessly from patients on treatment beds, and some screamed.
Ughhh...
"Treat me first!"
Uwaaah!
"Maggots are wriggling in my arm right now!"
Se Yeong passed the frantic young healers and walked deeper into the village.
"What brings you here?"
But before he could take twenty steps, a young healer blocked his path.
"I've come to see the lord of this place."
"You'll have to wait days to see the Forest Lord. Please tell me your name and clan."
It was never easy meeting someone in a high position, anywhere.
"Tell her I'm here to collect a debt from thirty-two years ago."
Doubt filled the healer's eyes.
'A guy in his early twenties collecting a thirty-two-year-old debt?'
But doubt was just doubt.
"I'll relay the message."
The healer hurried off, and Se Yeong stood there, surveying his surroundings.
'So many murim folk.'
Among those seeking treatment in Healing Forest, armed warriors stood out especially.
Murim warriors sat in chairs, entrusting their bodies to healers and acolytes—some missing limbs.
As Se Yeong looked around, the healer who had gone inside rushed back out.
"Please, come in."
His grandfather must have bestowed a far greater favor than he'd imagined.
Otherwise, the response wouldn't have come so quickly.
Se Yeong silently followed the healer.
The Forest Lord's room was utterly spartan.
A table and chairs took up the space, along with bookshelves lining the walls—that was all.
But such simplicity didn't register in Se Yeong's eyes.
'There's someone like this in the world.'
All he saw was the elderly woman seated in a chair.
Until now, the most gracefully aged woman he'd known was his grandmother.
Yet the Forest Lord before him was no less striking.
His grandmother preserved her youthful face with the Youth Preservation Technique, but the Forest Lord, even in old age, remained elegant.
"Sit."
The woman indicated the chair before the table.
Her voice was soft and warm beyond measure.
As Se Yeong sat, she placed tea on the table.
"As a healer tending the sick, all I can offer is hot herbal tea. Please, have some."
At her urging, Se Yeong lifted the cup to his lips.
"Young warrior, you take after your grandfather more than your father."
'She knows Father too?'
Se Yeong had no desire to treat disrespectfully this elder woman who knew his grandfather and father.
"Do you know me?"
The woman gave a faint smile.
"Wasn't your grandfather's moniker One Hidden?"
She had recognized him at a glance, no doubt.
"How did you know it was me?"
"It would be stranger if I didn't. Your grandfather is someone I'll never forget."
Se Yeong sensed something peculiar in her tone.
Did it mean his grandfather had done her such an immense favor she'd never forget? Or that she kept him always in her heart?
As these questions swirled in his mind, the woman spoke.
"Before the Demonic Cult's great war, Healing Forest was far larger than it is now. Injured murim warriors flooded here from all sides, so the Demonic Cult sent their experts. Many buildings burned, and healers died. If your grandfather hadn't helped just then, Healing Forest would have been destroyed."
Her eyes grew distant, wistful, as she continued.
"That was the first time I saw him. In my eyes, he seemed like a god."
Meeting her gaze, Se Yeong suddenly had an absurd suspicion.
'Could Grandfather have... had an affair?'
He dismissed it at once.
His grandfather wasn't one to hide his feelings.
The woman's wistful gaze suddenly sharpened.
"My apologies. I let my emotions carry me into idle talk. If there's anything you need, just say the word."
With that, Se Yeong explained his purpose.
"Please write me a recommendation letter. I want to join the Murim Alliance."
"What difficulty is that? Wait just a moment."
She promptly spread a fresh sheet of paper on the table and took up a brush.
"What's your name, young warrior?"
"Se Yeong. Han Se Yeong. Please keep it secret that I'm One Hidden's grandson."
"You dislike drawing attention from the murim world, I see."
She began writing on the white paper.
Her script, like her, was neat and precise.
Yet the hand holding the brush was rough and callused, bearing the weight of years.
"Thank you."
Se Yeong received the recommendation and rose immediately.
But the Forest Lord wasn't ready to let him go.
"I'd love to keep you here a month or a year, but that's just the ramblings of an old fool. One moment, please."
She went into the inner room and returned with a small wooden box.
"All I can offer in return for his grace is this."
The Forest Lord held the wooden box before Se Yeong's eyes.
He could guess its contents without looking.
Just days ago, he'd taken a similar one from Blood Ghost Mother.
'No need to refuse a precious treasure offered with such sincerity.'
Se Yeong quickly tucked the box into his robes.
"I'll put it to good use."
The Forest Lord clasped both his hands, reluctant to part.
"Come anytime your heart or body feels weary. No need to hesitate."
Her hands were so warm, Se Yeong couldn't pull away.
"I'll... see you again."
Se Yeong bowed farewell and turned to leave the room.
Outside stood the young healer and a burly young murim warrior glaring at him.
'What's his problem?'
Ignoring him, Se Yeong exited the Forest Lord's hall.
"You've waited long, Young Master Paeng. Please, go in."
Just then, the healer opened the door.
Only then did the young warrior withdraw his glare and enter.
Se Yeong smirked but paused mid-step.
'Where do I know that guy from...? Where was it...?'
Paeng Se Gi, entering the Forest Lord's room, kept tilting his head.
'What is it? Why does something feel off?'
It felt like he'd overlooked something crucial, but it wouldn't come to mind.
"What brings you today, Young Master Paeng?"
At the Forest Lord's question, Paeng Se Gi quickly composed himself and squared his shoulders proudly.
"My body's fully recovered, so I'm leaving Healing Forest today."
She gave a kind smile.
"I told you your wounds are severe—you need at least ten more days of rest."
But Paeng Se Gi refused to yield.
"I'm tough as nails. A scratch like this heals in no time. I'm truly fine."
"Shall we check if your wounds have really healed?"
She approached and undid his outer robes.
Startled, Paeng Se Gi tried to back away, but his chest was already exposed.
The Forest Lord examined the long diagonal scar across his chest.
"You'll need to stay another twenty days or so."
She extended it from ten to twenty, and Paeng Se Gi's proud face crumpled into a pout.
"Please, just this once, Forest Lord. I need to get back to the murim world to hunt down Blood Ghost Mother, don't I?"
"How can you speak of harming others when a healer's duty is to save lives?"
Paeng Se Gi couldn't retort.
Any other healer, and he'd have bolted days ago.
But the Forest Lord of Healing Forest was different.
His father, fiercer than a tiger, held her in deep respect—he couldn't act rashly.
He left the room dejectedly and slumped on the stairs.
Huuu...
Staring blankly at the sky with a long sigh, memories of the past suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Iron club... Evil Poison Five Swords."
Se Yeong quietly watched the burly youth clash with elite foes.
Ka-kang! Kang! Kang...!
Five sword blades and one saber blade scattered brilliant flashes as they collided.
Swaak... Swaak...
The sword edges slicing through space grazed the youth's side and thigh in succession.
"You sons of bitches... I'll rip you apart."
Kaka-kang...!
The youth parried the invading blades and retreated hastily.
But with five opponents, he couldn't fully evade.
Kekeke...
"We heard the son of the Heaven Dominating Blade King was a fool, but you're no better than an idiot."
The five villains mocked him freely.
Kekekeke...
"Think I'll die alone? I'll drag at least three of you to the afterlife."
Yet the youth's spirit didn't waver.
He even mocked them back, raising his saber defiantly.
Killing intent poured forth in waves, making even the elites flinch.
But only briefly.
"We'll cut off your head and toss it to the dogs."
Shwaaak...
The apparent leader struck first, and the other four surged toward the youth's entire body.